Does Your Pool Use Too Much Electricity?

Swimming pools are energy hogs. Most people do not know that they can consume as much as three times the energy of an average size refrigerator. How can a swimming pool consume so much electricity? Some may ask. After all, it’s only a pool with some water in it. The answer is simple. Swimming pools need a pool pump. Pumps need electricity to run. Even the smallest pump will be at least 1.5 horsepower which will draw around 1800 watts of electricity! This is especially true with older, single speed pumps.

Types of Pumps

What happens is, most people tend to leave the cleaning pump on a lot longer than it needs to be. Running a 1.5 or 2 horsepower motor for many hours is not only a waste, but it is not needed. Swimming pools in most cases will only require five to six hours of cleaning. Therefore, the fastest way to save on energy is to go with variable speed pumps. These types have two motors built in. usually, one will be 1.5 and the other pump will be half that amount. However, some pumps are capable of running at different RPMs. What needs to be understood is that when RPM is reduced, the amount of wattage used will be exponentially lower. This makes it easier to understand how energy is saved with a variable speed. However, there are other ways to help save on energy.

Savings Checklist

Unless you own an Olympic sized pool, go with the smallest pumps. Most residential pools do not need 2 horsepower pumps. In most cases, a three-quarter horsepower will suffice.

When choosing the type of pump, go with a variable speed or at least a two-speed pump. Single speed pumps are the least efficient of the three.

Next on the list is the plumbing. The pipes should be at least 2inches in diameter. Instead of using 90-degree elbows, go with long sweep 45’s.

Do not run the pump for more than 5 hours. Most residential pools only require five hours of cleaning.

The Pool Master is a pool service company located in Ripon, California. We provide pool services of all types. We also sell and install pool equipment. Increase flow and efficiency with a new pump. The INTELLIFLO® Variable Speed Pump is only $1500 installed and includes setup and programming. Contact us today at (209) 531-3373.